This time of year the challenge on the farm is to keep animals fed. From June until December we have more than enough rain to keep the grass growing and the pastures are ample for the livestock we care for. In the dry season, the boys and the workers search the neighborhood for cane grass to chop and bring back for the cattle.

With the sheep we have a new challenge. We keep the sheep in the front yard and the field behind the old house, limiting them to about a third of the pastures we care for. Up here we have surrounded the fields with chain link fence, so that they cannot escape like they used to. For the past few weeks, the sheep have been short on greenery.

Thankfully we have good neighbors. The Mennonites grow corn in the fields pictured below, during the rainy season. In the off season, they like to have animals of any kind graising the fields, enhancing the soil. They had their own cows there for a few weeks, but the type of pasture cows eat is a little different than that which sheep prefer. This year some new critters will be enriching the soil for them.

So our youngest is out there with his helper Carlitos. Their job is to keep the sheep away from the Mennonite's Summer crops, far to the left, and out of the streets on the right. So Tim is out there wittling his staff and keeping the sheep in their proper place. When I first saw Tim out there, a clear view from my window, I wanted to rummage up a harp somewhere and let him strum out some tunes for the lambs. Then I thought about a muscled up teen who knew how to play a harp would be too much for females to resist, so I kept all of our harps under locks.